Two horses. It's about two horses. The horse dealer Michael Kohlhaas is on his way to Dresden for the auction. When he passes the castle of Wenzel von Tronka, this one unlawfully demands money for passage. Kohlhaas leaves two of his horses as a pledge. When he passes the castle again on his way back to redeem his horses, they are just wrecks. Tronka has worked them to death in the field. Michael Kohlhaas demands compensation. But Wenzel von Tronka knows the judge, and Kohlhaas comes away empty-handed. This cannot be tolerated. Michael Kohlhaas declares a feud and burns down Tronka's castle. With a bunch of like-minded people, Kohlhaas travels the lands seeking justice and in doing so creates more and more new injustices. Can he be stopped? And is justice worth any price, no matter how high? Michael Kohlhaas becomes a revolutionary who loses all sense of measure and proportionality in his fundamentalist struggle for his rights. A war begins. Heinrich von Kleist wrote in 1808 with Michael Kohlhaas one of the largest and most significant German novellas about right and wrong, the escalation of violence, and the dynamics of conflict.

after the novella by Heinrich von Kleist
in a version by Britta Kristina Schreiber

Version, direction, stage: Britta Kristina Schreiber
Costume: Astrid Natho
Duration: 80 min, no intermission

For ten years now, the "Replanters of the Fairy Tale Forest" have been bringing the Ansbach Christmas fairy tale full of wit, charm, singing, and live music to the stage – a delight for both young and old audiences alike.
With "Hans im Glück," Kommando Grimm presents another enchanting Grimm fairy tale this year for people aged 4 and above. In addition to the popular afternoon and evening performances, there are also evening shows at the Ansbach Kammerspiele – for all older children and young-at-heart adults.

"Hans im Glück" – a musical Christmas fairy tale for people aged 4 and above
Text: Heiner Bomhard
Music: Ulrike and Thomas Koch
Direction: Katja Schumann
Costumes: Beatrix Cameron

With: Friederike Neutze, Ulrike Koch, Josa Butschkau, Peter Huber, Thomas Koch, Thorsten Siebenhaar, and Matthias Zippel

Performance period: From November 30 to January 18 at the Ansbach Kammerspiele

Entrance: 14:30

Seven years he was away – when the giant returns, he finds his garden full of playing children. But instead of sharing their joy, he builds a high wall. From now on, the garden is empty, the birds are silent, and where spring reigns everywhere, here only winter remains.

But walls do not last forever: As the stones crumble, the children climb back – and with them, the sun, blossoms, and life return. One child, however, remains behind, crying and helpless. In that moment, the giant realizes what he has lost. He helps, the child thanks him – and his heart softens. The wall falls, the garden opens up.

In images inspired by Henri Rousseau's mysterious natural worlds, the play tells of walls and wonders, the changing of the seasons – and of the power that can change hearts.

Participants:

Text: Claudia Kucharski

Direction: Lucka Svobodowa

Music: Darius Gall

Stage & Puppets: Claudia Kucharski

Performance: Claudia Kucharski

A poetic theater experience for children aged 6 and up – and adults who want to be enchanted by nature and fantasy.

30 min from the start

Remaining tickets available upon request at 0981-2204041

The Team Odenwald not only brings a fresh program full of favorite music for good mood, but also trains the vocal cords of all group singers and makes gloomy thoughts quickly disappear. Rock classics meet pop hits and chansons, and radio hits meet children's songs – the constantly newly designed program surprises, touches, and enchants. The colorful mix of songs ensures good spirits among all participants, refreshes memories of the era of the world hits, and creates a desire for more.

A Schlager song evening for travelers and those waiting

Waiting for the bus. It’s not coming again. Who is the man? Who is this woman? At some point, they start to sing, and German Schlager shows what it can do. It transports you to other worlds and reveals a very own worldview. West and East hits from several decades meet and tell a kind of story. But longings, feelings, and of course love are universal…

A cheerful-melancholic song evening with the concentrated Schlager expertise of the ensemble.

Text, collage, direction, stage, and costume: Axel Krauße
with: Hildegard Pohl, Katja Schumann; Robert Arnold
Duration: 80 min., no intermission

A Schlager song evening for travelers and those waiting

Waiting for the bus. It’s not coming again. Who is the man? Who is this woman? At some point, they start to sing, and German Schlager shows what it can do. It transports you to other worlds and reveals a very own worldview. West and East hits from several decades meet and tell a kind of story. But longings, feelings, and of course love are universal…

A cheerful-melancholic song evening with the concentrated Schlager expertise of the ensemble.

Text, collage, direction, stage, and costume: Axel Krauße
with: Hildegard Pohl, Katja Schumann; Robert Arnold
Duration: 80 min., no intermission

A thumb cinema evening by and with Volker Gerling

Volker Gerling captures the magic of the fleeting, almost invisible. His snapshots are poetic blinks of exactly 12 seconds. Gerling has walked 5500 kilometers through Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, documenting with his camera treasures of wonderfully inconspicuous encounters in the form of photographic thumb cinemas.

The piece Bilder lernen laufen, indem man sie herumträgt has been invited to theater festivals in over 30 countries on four continents and received the prestigious Total Theatre Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Theatre Festival.

For adults
Duration: approx. 90 minutes

Three artists & one moderator who will make the Ansbach Kammerspiele laugh! The Ansbacher Lachnacht enters its 2nd round. Get ready for shaking diaphragms, teary eyes, and plenty of good mood. You will be guided through the exciting spectacle by Atze Bauer, the Franconian song chaos maker. He is pleased to present you these legendary comedians: Jörg Kaiser swings the verbal cooking spoon and throws into the pan everything that everyday madness has placed on the shelf for the true Franconian in absurdities. Schaluppke talks, rocks, and raps until the last listener realizes: A lifeguard is also an entertainer! Another highlight of the evening is Patricia Lürmann. With her unique view of the world and a pinch of sociological analysis, she encourages both laughter and thought. For all those ready to face reality with a smile: a fun-filled evening full of insights and humor.

Reduced admission for students, trainees, voluntary services, and citizens receiving basic income at the box office starting at the beginning of the event.

Photo: Andreas Sturm

by Saša Stanišić
adapted for the stage by Effmert and Arnold
self-production of the Ansbach Puppet Theatre

Hop in the taxi, buckle up! Here we go, the crazy stories full of adventurous encounters, absurd, comical and free from the pull of gravity – time travel is possible – nothing is impossible! A magical journey awaits us – we’ll be back soon!

In the new production of the Ansbach Puppet Theatre, poetically fast-paced, stormy tales about going away and coming back home are spun; on land, on water, and in the air (heading towards outer space).

Saša Stanišić is one of the successful German-speaking authors. He received the German Book Prize in 2019 for his book “Herkunft”. He is a recipient of, among others, the Leipzig Book Fair Prize, the Eichendorff Prize, the Hans Fallada Prize, the Schiller Prize of the City of Marbach, and the Wilhelm Raabe Literary Prize 2024.

Hey, hey, hey, TAXI! was nominated for the German Youth Literature Prize, and the accompanying audiobook was awarded the German Record Critics' Prize.

Duration: approx. 40 minutes
for everyone from 4 years old

Why not consider everything like this: Our life is a single enthusiasm, we enthuse everything, everywhere we give our spirits away. Into the air, into the water, and then we call them fairies, nymphs, water men, we know household spirits and so on and so forth. This means our environment becomes a person through the spirits, with whom we can make contact, and thus our environment transforms into our personal world.
I take great pleasure in spirits because I am a puppeteer and have all those spirits, demons, fairies, angels, and whatever they are called at hand with the puppets. They learn what happens when we curse ourselves, about what two souls talk about on their journey to the other side, they also learn what the path from the afterlife to us looks like and whom they will meet there and what nonsense a young night wind gets up to. Spirits are a poetic principle and poems are sometimes a summoning of spirits.

Puppetry, puppet building, text: Christoph Bochdansky
Direction: Simon Meusburger
Music: David Müller

For adults
Duration: 70 minutes

“Doing something amazing with the musical tradition, but not messing it up” – this is how the native of Partenkirchen describes his ambitions between alphorn, electro sound, and 14 self-played instruments. Catchy, rhythmic sound experiments on a broad bass basis. It's really hard to pin it all down, too multifaceted, too soft, too wild, and too cheeky, he exuberantly and gladly digs into all available genres. Marcel Engler a.k.a. Loisach Marci undoubtedly takes a completely own and new musical path away from the mainstream with his alpine art. For him, it is more than art; it is a way of life. A unique sound: in the truest, double, and very best sense UNHEARD.

Reduced admission for students, trainees, federal volunteers, and citizens receiving citizen income at the box office from the start of the event.

Box office surcharge: Concessions: €1.50 / Full: €2.00

Image: Anton Ostler

Iceland and Greenland are dream destinations for nature lovers. Photographer Stephan Schulz has visited both islands in every season. He experienced a spectacular volcanic eruption and humorously describes how he battles his way through the highlands on a bicycle along some terrifying corrugated roads or icy glacial rivers. Or how he had to fear being blown off the road by a hurricane gust while driving on the completely icy Ring Road. He also experienced the clearest water in the world with 120m visibility and traveled by dog sled with ice diving equipment over the frozen Sermilik Fjord to dive under the ice cover to explore icebergs frozen in minus 3-degree water. Alongside all these natural treasures, Stephan Schulz also sheds light on critical issues such as whaling or mass tourism. In Greenland, he encountered the Inuit, for whom climate change and the influx of Western lifestyle mean a drastic cultural shock and loss of identity. Immerse yourself in an overwhelming 3D visual feast – a unique plastic visual experience in the realm of live reporting in the German-speaking world!

3D glasses can be purchased for €1.00 in the evening.

Evening box office surcharge: Mgl: €1.50 / Nmgl: €2.00

D | 2022 | 75 Min | Directed by: Thomas Kupser

Immeldorf is very small even compared to the surrounding small towns. Since 1978, this village with just over 350 inhabitants has been home to the cultural pub "Weißes Roß" and its pub owner Walter Hertle. For decades he gave no interviews - now he presents his kaleidoscope musically, rural music and pub culture. A film about the village, the pub, and the innkeeper.

"This film is not only well made and entertaining, but also important for the future. If one day Walter Hertle can no longer run the "Weiße Roß" as a cultural venue, then the film will testify to this creative person and his life's work, while also reflecting the feelings of several generations of Franconian youth." (FLZ from 20.09.22)

Evening box office surcharge: Mgl: 1.50 € / Nmgl: 2.00 €

Photo: Max Kratzer

Presented by Rockantenne and the magazines Eclipsed, Good Times, Musix, and Breakout: PULSE is the newly formed Pink Floyd tribute, founded by the former ECHOES musicians Oliver Hartmann, Martin Hofmann, and Markus Nanz. Under a new name, they now continue the successful concert series with great attention to detail and passion: The music of PINK FLOYD on purely acoustic instruments, rearranged, and supported by a string quartet from Prague. The musicians have already impressively demonstrated since 2014 with their "Barefoot To The Moon" concerts that it is possible to bring the music of PINK FLOYD to the stage in an acoustic "Unplugged" style and thereby enthrall their audience. Alongside classics like "Shine on you crazy diamond" or "Wish you were here," even complex songs like "Welcome To The Machine" or "Money" are not overlooked but compellingly presented with new and creative arrangements. This can be heard on the successful live production "Barefoot To The Moon" by the former band ECHOES, which has been highly praised since its release in 2015 not only on Amazon but even made it to the Media Control Charts at number 20 – a kind of knighthood for a tribute band. After the first partly sold-out tour under the new name, which took the band through all of Germany in January 2025, PULSE will continue these wonderful acoustic concerts in 2026 and show what to expect at the live concerts of the newly formed band: Full houses and frenetic applause on a journey to the ACOUSTIC SIDE OF THE MOON!

Evening box office surcharge: Possible: €1.50 / Not possible: €2.00

Photo:© Klaus Manns

The event is sold out!

Immerse yourself in an evening full of musical masterpieces!
The program begins with Franz Schubert's lively overture in the Italian style, which captures the essence of Italian opera with its lightness and joy of living. Next, you will experience Georges Bizet's Symphony No. 1 – a true gem of the romantic repertoire full of freshness and youthful enthusiasm. The finale features Ludwig van Beethoven's powerful 5th Piano Concerto, which combines heroic gestures and intimate moments.
After his illness, Andreas Weiss returns to the conductor's podium and, together with pianist Dirk Mommertz, makes up for what he missed in the last season.
An evening that showcases classical music in all its diversity and brilliance!

Program:
Franz Schubert: Overture in Italian Style C major D. 591
Georg Bizet: Symphony No. 1 C major
Ludwig van Beethoven: 5th Piano Concerto E-flat major op. 73

with:
Dirk Mommertz (piano)
Andreas Weiss (conductor)

Immerse yourself in an evening full of musical masterpieces!
The program begins with Franz Schubert's lively overture in the Italian style, which captures the essence of Italian opera with its lightness and joy of life. Next, you will experience Georges Bizet's Symphony No. 1 – a true gem of the romantic repertoire full of freshness and youthful enthusiasm. The finale features Ludwig van Beethoven's powerful 5th Piano Concerto, which combines heroic gestures and intimate moments.
After his illness, Andreas Weiss returns to the conductor's podium and catches up with pianist Dirk Mommertz on what he missed in the last season.
An evening that presents classical music in all its diversity and brilliance!

Program:
Franz Schubert: Overture in the Italian Style C Major D. 591
Georg Bizet: Symphony No. 1 C Major
Ludwig van Beethoven: 5th Piano Concerto E-flat Major Op. 73

with:
Dirk Mommertz (piano)
Andreas Weiss (conducting)

10 am to approx. 1 pm

When the well-traveled Viennese world music trio Cobario takes the stage with two guitars and a violin, you immediately feel yourself swept away into the shimmering heat of a Spanish night, you smell the sea, and you feel the sun on your skin. In their new program "Spanish Nights," Herwigos (violin), El Coba (guitar), and Giorgio Rovere (guitar) have gathered their most spirited songs: many dearly loved favorites of the Viennese string artists, in which fiery guitar chords intertwine with violin sounds that sometimes cheer, sometimes sigh. For Cobario themselves, "Spanish Nights" was also a musical search for traces: back to the beginnings, when they captivated their audience in the streets of Barcelona and absorbed the Mediterranean way of life. You are quickly carried away by the melodies and stories that the three vagabonds tell through their instruments and in their tales. The musicians of Cobario have developed a very own style, and soon they were invited to festivals and then to the grand concert halls. Their current compositions are alive with the energy of traveling and the foreign.

Evening box office surcharge: Mgl: 1.50 € / Nmgl: 2.00 €

Photo: Stefan Doleschal

On this evening, Martin Schmid invites you to experience his passion and love for swing. He sings and dances through a delightful program full of delicious, evergreen melodies and songs that come from a time when music was still swinging and people were still dancing the fox trot. Jazz enthusiasts will also get their money's worth with the captivating solos from his fabulous band, as Daniel Mark Eberhard tickles the ivories, Walter Bittner beats the drums, Uli Fiedler plucks the bass, and Stephan Holstein plays his saxophone and clarinet into the hearts of the guests. Martin Schmid has learned from the best: as a double bassist with Hugo Strasser's “Hot Five,” he worked with swing legends like Max Greger and Hazy Osterwald, and he will now carry on their legacy in his own way. Lean back and relax, enjoy the moment – welcome to the show!

Evening box office surcharge: Mgl: 1.50 € / Nmgl: 2.00 €

Overwhelmed with cultural awards, the Bayreuth pioneers of comic vocal art have been marauding through the history of music since 1990, plundering and pillaging not only the Western world – eliciting unprecedented cheers and screams of horror from the audience. Now follows the brand new A Cappella comedy show: “ZUKUNFTSMUSIK”, in which the guys have lost themselves in the digital world and are desperately searching for an upgrade. A revue that should never have happened, with highlights from over 35 years of A-Cappella piracy and brand new material. In this show, Six Pack also self-mockingly proves how well one can harmonize brilliant vocal arrangements with absurd ideas.

Reduced admission for students, apprentices, volunteers, and citizens receiving benefits available at the box office starting at the event time.

Box office surcharge: Mgl: €1.50 / Nmgl: €2.00

Photo: Lars Kienle